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Catching Up With Pete Kendall; Could He Be Back?

After watching several offensive linemen struggle early in camp, I figured it was time to track down veteran guard Pete Kendall.

Kendall, the Redskins' starting left guard the past two seasons, was not re-signed and the team brought back Derrick Dockery to fill Kendall's former spot alongside Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels. The Redskins turned away from Kendall, 36, as part of their mini-shakeup along the line after quarterback Jason Campbell was sacked 38 times last season, the league's fourth-highest total.

So with that backdrop, I left a voice message on Kendall's phone and hoped he would hit me back. He just did, and we talked about his situation and the Redskins' offensive line play in camp.

Kendall is among the smartest athletes I've covered regardless of sport; the guy just gets it. With some guys, I would have had to explain why I called. Not with Kendall, so we just got right into the matter at hand.

"At this point, I would say I'm just hanging out and waiting for a call" from a team, Kendall said. "We've had some conversations with some teams, but at this point no one seems to be willing to bring me in a week into camp, which isn't the worst news I've ever heard. But as far as playing again, let me put it this way: I'd definitely be willing to listen to whoever called and discuss what my possible role might be."

After 13 seasons in the NFL, Kendall is not ready to retire, which makes me wonder: What about a Redskins-Kendall reunion? Kendall was a consummate professional and key member of the line after the Redskins acquired him from the Jets for a draft pick late in the 2007 preseason. The move was necessitated because Dockery, a former Redskins draft pick who spent his first four seasons in Ashburn, left via free agency in March of that year, and the team's original plan to replace Dockery faltered.

The Redskins first tried to convert tackle Todd Wade and reserve Mike Pucillo, players without experience at left guard, to fill the spot, and made the move for Kendall when it became apparent another idea was needed. I'm not saying the Redskins are in an identical situation now as they were then, but there is concern in the organization about right guard Randy Thomas.

Amid all the praise that offensive line coach Joe Bugel lavished on the unit the other day (you get the impression from Bugel that most of these guys are Canton-bound), he acknowledged his concern about Thomas's lingering knee soreness after offseason surgery. Thomas also had neck surgery.

Guard-tackle Chad Rinehart, the team's third-round draft pick in 2008, has been running with the first team since OTAs while Thomas recovered from his surgeries. He rejoined the first team when Thomas's knee became too painful for him to go full speed in the 11-on-11 drills, and Bugel said he would be comfortable if Rinehart had to start the season opener against the Giants on Sept. 13 at Giants Stadium.

Rinehart was inactive for the first 13 games and did not play last season. He lost his confidence after struggling in the preseason. Some in the organization have played down Rinehart's shaky performance last preseason, saying most of his problems occurred when he worked as a tackle and experienced problems with edge rushers. Of course, they do list Rinehart as a guard-tackle and Bugel said he could play tackle when they drafted him. The organization's internal view of Rinehart wasn't so optimistic in the offseason. But things change. Perhaps Rinehart is much improved, but I would just like to see it in games first. And if he has made a major turnaround, I'll be the first to write about it here. Until then, I still have to believe having Kendall in the mix at a guard spot would be a net gain for the Redskins.

"I haven't talked to anyone with them in months," Kendall said. Coach Jim Zorn "called after they brought Dock back, just to see if we could keep the lines of communication open, and I thought that was pretty cool. He didn't have to reach out like that, so I said we could."

Bugel was candid last season in telling reporters that Kendall's arthritic knee condition was a concern and prompted the Redskins to hold him out of practice in the days leading up to games. But Kendall knows Washington's offense as well as the coaches (although it wasn't his responsibility, he often would help with protection calls), and knowing what to do, obviously, is a big part of everything.

Kendall played a key role on a line that helped Clinton Portis rush for almost 1,500 yards with a 4.3-yard average in 2008, even though Portis had no runs longer than 29 yards. That's called blocking 'em up.

I'm sure some of you are asking this question: Why bring back a guy as old as Kendall when he was part of the pass protection problem? Answer: Because the Redskins' depth could be so poor it might make sense to bring back a guy as old as Kendall. I'm not saying Kendall is the answer, but after watching the unit work, adding someone who knows what to do couldn't hurt.

Bugel could forget more about football in a minute than I will know in my lifetime, I acknowledge that, but I just don't buy the pretty picture he paints about, essentially, the same group that faltered down the stretch and played the biggest part in the 2-6 second-half collapse. Kendall is not a tackle, but would you really rather have Mike Williams, in his current condition, on the roster rather than Kendall, arthritic knees and all? Jeremy Bridges is expected to fill multiple roles as a tackle and guard, and he has starting experience in the league, and perhaps he could benefit from working with another proven veteran on the second team.

Kendall would acknowledge his best days on the football field are behind him, and he probably would no longer be effective playing major snaps. But I would be surprised if Kendall, as a backup, would not be a better option than many of the linemen currently competing for jobs.

"I can understand why they [the Redskins] would say I couldn't practice a whole season, I haven't done that the last couple of seasons," Kendall said. "But as far as playing the whole season, unless I have amnesia, I played every game" the last two seasons.

Moving around: The final figures on free agency are in. The NFL says 128 unrestricted free agents changed teams this year, a number very much in line with the recent past. In 2008, 132 UFAs moved, with 126 on the go in 2007. Here’s the statistical oddity--for the first time since the free agency system began in 1993, no player other than a UFA changed teams. No franchise players, transition players or restricted free agents left their old employer for a new gig. There has been less interest by the clubs in trying to sign players for whom they might have to offer draft-pick compensation. Eight restricted free agents changed teams in 1993; there have only been seven of those moves over the last three years and none of them were in ’09.

I completely agree with JReid on this. I suspect that the team doesn't see the need to make the call unless and until another team loses a starting guard for the season. If Rinehart needs to re-build confidence with additional reps, such as, it would not be a good idea to have Kendall even around in camp. Assuming Kendall is staying in shape (I assume he is if he's ready to start back once he gets the call), it doesn't hurt him any not to have him in camp. Frankly, with his knees, probably better to save on the wear and tear. Kendall also seems like a guy with a love of the game and the smarts to be a coach himself some day (but with school age kids, presumably he'd want to hold off on that for a while).

If another team loses a starting guard though, then this amateur GM would be on the phone with Kendall's agent offering $5M over whatever other offer they can produce for a guaranteed #3 guard spot.

geeez.... It just can't get any better when we're thinking about bringing Pete "My knee hurts on wednesdays" Kendle back. At this point, I don't know if thats a move you make as an improvment or just simply out of necessity. Either way, the Ohhh-Line is going to be a crap-shoot. Good luck, Pete!

I was actually over at the Skins site (see the bit above about how free agency played out ... what the "market" is doing in anticipation of the expiration of the CBA) and when I came back, I saw a new one. It was clean and ungraffitied ... so I kept the numeric adjective out of it.

PK was arguably the most solid lineman we had last season. I remember seeing some post siting who had let up the most sacks in the league PK had 3 in 16 games, Rabach had 5 I think and Jansen was worst on the team with 11 I think.

There is much upside to this. Bring Kendall back, move Bridges to RT full-time, forget the Mike Williams experiment for this season. Instantly improve the depth on the squad. It should be a no-brainer.

Good post. I think Kendall would be a nice plug for one of the many leaking holes in our O-Line, even if only as a back-up. Not playing full-time might allow his body to make it through one more season... just... and he would probably come cheap. He would certainly be an upgrade over some other vet at the end of his career/with an injury history that we might bring in mid-season and who would have the learn the plays/line chemistry. One thing is certain: the offensive line must be the priority next offseason/draft. It has been that way for three years now, but I've never seen a Redskins unit on either side of the ball in such poor shape before the season. It already feels like the second half of last season.

Nothing to see here except JReid and whoever wrote the headline trying to play GM. "Could he be back?"? No one from the Skins has called Kendall or any other out-of-work Olineman. If Rhinehart looks bad in practice right now just come out and say so. Who cares about what happened last year if the coach says he can play now.

Therein lies the problem. Other than Levi Jones (who wants starter money), everyone else that might otherwise fall into the "serviceable" category is hurt (Runyan, Tauscher, Jonas Jennings ... who until yesterday's mention by zJack, I'd never heard of). Seems like the only way to get "servicable" is via trade.

Tyson Jackson to get $31 million guaranteed
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on August 7, 2009 12:08 PM ET
Chiefs defensive end Tyson Jackson is on his way to Kansas City, and he'll be a very rich man when he arrives.

Nick Wright of KCSP radio in Kansas City has alerted PFT that Jackson's deal is for five years and $57 million, with $31 million guaranteed. Jackson was the third overall pick in April's draft.

Save your money in 09...Its a lame duck year.... Once no one would trade for JC, it appears the Front Office ceased Offensive contract renewals / extensions. Possibly in expectation of Shanahan in 2010. Thus also lowering the cost of player releases after 2009 and kept all picks in place.

If you were being courted as the incoming future WCO Head Coach (Shanahan), wouldnt that be what you would tell your close friend Vinny to do until you arrived?

Save your money, stay home..and watch a redux of 08.. A top ranked Defense wasted on a last place Offense.

Neutral journalism as always, JC. You're right, it's as if Rhinehart is destined to repeat the shortcomings of the former personnel in that position. This reminds me of something I just can't put my finger on. Oh well, tell LaCanfora I said hi. One last thing--and this is kinda newfangled but hear me out--LET THEM PLAY FIRST!

Some things in this post don't make sense. The line "blocked 'em up" because Portis didn't break any big runs. And it also faltered down the stretch. Putting the disparate pieces together, Kendall was a "key" of the group that "faltered", and didn't practice during the week the second half of the season.

So, what we have is a guy that can't withstand the rigors of an entire season, but could step in for a half here and there, or god forbid, take a starting role late in the season.

JR, I disagree that Kendall would make a better backup than a young guy with potential. The Skins aren't making a Super Bowl run, and they shouldn't give backup spots to guys who aren't starting and who won't contend for starting spots next year.

Kendall makes a lot of sense. He was not the problem last year. No, he is not a long term answer, but he played well and knows the system. Plus, what was not said was that he can also back up Rabach (Kendall has played center in the past). I don't see anyone else on the roster ready to do that. I'm guessing they're hedging about Rinehart and waiting to see how he does. I don't think there will be room for all 3 as interior reserves (Rhino, Bridges and PK).

But they'll need to decide about PK soon - the inevitable injuries around the league camps are sure to land him somewhere.

I thought the goal was to get younger? We did that. We replaced Dockery with Kendall and Heyer with JAnsen. The line has changed by 2/5ths. SO not the exactly the same line as last year. Kendell has only played LG his whole carrer, so why would we bring him back to play RG? Can he play RG? And Vinny AND Buges has said that Rinehart can compete for the starting RG position, which tells me we are straight on depth. And Kendell does'nt play special teams.......

Ok, maybe Kendall would help bring some knowledge and experience to the O-line but I'm still totally confused about the draft and free agency strategy to stock up on defensive players. Binging in Dockery doesn't equal the kind of upgrade as getting Haynesworth, Orakpo or signing Hall. At the end of last season, everyone was talking about how the O-line needed to be improved...the Skins pretty much forgot about the O-line and went after defensive players to augment the number 4 defense. I don't get it!

1. he has to use his knees for the rest of his life. What purpose would it serve HIM to be a sacrificial lamb on an average team?

2. Let's put a kid in there and let him develop into a young, multi-year starter. Is Rinehart and his new body the real deal? Find out. This team isn't going to the playoffs. Until Vinny learns you built a great team with a great young offensive line, it won't be going to the playoff--deep into them anyway.

So much good can happens with a good offensive line.

*Your receievers have time to get open
*Because receivers get open, your QB is better.
*Your QB is healthier.
*Your runners are better.
*You can hold a lead, late in a game by ramming ball down their throats.
*Red zone play is better because defense must defend run and receivers have more time to get open.
*Beating the other guys defensive line saps morale.
*You neutralize opponents great D-lines, sapping their morale.
*YOUR defense is better because there are fewer 3 and outs.

I'd prefer the Skins keep a younger guard who can play special teams. Kendall has been a good LG/C and knows the offense, however he would be inactive on game days, a one-year stop-gap, and insurance against LG Dockery getting hurt.

W. Montgomery or E. Williams might be a better C/G choice for the final roster...

JR, you're building quite the fanbase with your What-else-can-I-incite-panic-with approach. Have you been lunching Dubya lately? JR, please, tell us what else must we be afraid of--it's your part for the war on terror.

Good post 'TheCork'! I've been belly aching about the lack of commitment to O-line play by the Skins for years! As good as Buges is, he's not the one blocking. Give him some young studs that he can coach into a great new O-line. I liked Kendall but its time to move on, I've always liked Randy Thomas but its time to move on.

Jansen, Kendall, Thomas and Samuels should not been bought back!
Silly article!

Posted by: shamken | August 7, 2009 12:39 P

So we'd be down 4/5 our of O-line from last year and plugging in rookies and cast-offs. That would be an real improvement. Samuels has been a warrior and while he has slipped a little he is still better than most in the league, guys in the league with tell you that.

The NFL really does need to establish a rookie pay scale. It should be non-negotiable to get players into training camp, shorter term, and scaled by draft selection [e.g. three years @ 5 million/year for the #1 pick]. Down to an undrafted rookie pay of 500k/year.

Given the salary cap; these huge payments to unproven drafted players is actually taking money away from established veterans...

Kendall ain't going anywhere, there is no need to bring him back at this point. If we get closer to the season and we need someone who can step right in then maybe but other than that keep Pete up in Mass cheering for the Red Sox. Nobody is going to sign this guy right now, no matter how many injuries are out there. He'll be there in Sept.

I never understood why they let him go. Make him a backup if you've got someone better but he was too consistent to just cut loose. And now they seem to be paying for it. Maybe Joe Bugel really does know better than everyone else though.

If I remember correctly (and I might not) it was a pass that got batted in the air and Kendall just reacted and caught it and tried to run. It was a total fluke play and you can't blame that game on him. It should never have been that close against the sorry as_ Rams.

Kendall is probably better then most of the guards we have now. Who cares if he doesn't practice on Wednesdays. I know we want to get younger but you can't play a guy, just because he's young, if he sucks.

"Signing Kendall has "bad idea" written all over it. His play was often atrocious at the end of his career, and we need to stay committed to developing young players.

Posted by: cali_snowboarder | August 7, 2009"

Where did you get that? He was ranked as the Skins #1 guard last year? And given Thomas' struggles after last year's injuries we know why? Dockery is one thing but Kendall will likely more to the table than Thomas. Thomas is plug-and-play.

Sorry but that's what you're down to when YOU FAIL ONCE AGAIN TO DRAFT FOR THE OL!?

Pete is ready to sign on for the Vet minimum and even play a back up role. The Skins did the right thing to turn him loose early. He had a chance to sign with other teams that needed help at OL, possibly even start. Now, the right thing is probably to resign him.

Noticed that another Ravens WR, Mark Clayton, went down with a hamstring yesterday. He's also battling plantar fascitis. Demetrius Williams, Yamon Figurs, and the TEs, Heap and LJ Smith, are also fighting injuries. Good thing Derrick Mason came back.

Ravens Coach Harbaugh is saying he'll be back in a couple weeks, other sources are predicting 4-6 weeks, based on the fact there's some bleeding involved.

Brings up the issue of Ozzie Newsome's not having drafted any WRs this year. If he was with the Skins, they'd be calling for his head, playoffs or no playoffs.

4 questions seeking info:
What other OG's are available?
Also, anybody know what our cap situ is at this point?
Also,...if next year ends up being an uncapped year, can the Skins restructure guys to get out of salary cap hades for years to come?
Also, does a cap-free year mean we'll have like Tom Brady, Shawne Merriman, and Larry Fitzgerald on the 2010 Skins roster with a payroll of $500 million? Thoughts anyone?

Faulk said on nfl network that a player will have leverage in negotiations twice in his career IF he's lucky. That gave me a new perspective, but it is totally lame for rooks to have so much power

Posted by: pabrian2003 | August 7, 2009 11:46 AM

Only in pro sports can someone make a statement that "it is totally lame for rooks to have so much power".

There are 32 teams in the NFL, but the League has rigged it so that a player coming out of college can only negotiate with ONE team, and the player doesn't even get to choose which team it is. The rookies can only say "yes" or "no". They can't say "Washington will pay me more."

What occupation, outside of pro sports, can segment the labor market like that? And the only reason it's legal is because the poor, powerless owners have an anti-trust exemption.

RG is not the issue. Bridges is a starting caliber right guard. The issue is still RT, where Bridges is currently playing due the the Heyer injury. So RT is where they should look to bring in a proven commodity. Maybe Runyan. Then you can ditch Williams and go with Heyer/Runyan at RT and Thomas/Bridges at RG.

There are 32 teams in the NFL, but the League has rigged it so that a player coming out of college can only negotiate with ONE team, and the player doesn't even get to choose which team it is. The rookies can only say "yes" or "no". They can't say "Washington will pay me more."

What occupation, outside of pro sports, can segment the labor market like that? And the only reason it's legal is because the poor, powerless owners have an anti-trust exemption.

"The Skins have now drafted 4, 3 very high last year: winkin', blinkin' and nod. Newsome knows how it works with WR draft picks: they don't usually pan out. Better to get them as free agents.Posted by: periculum"

Strange -- I thought the Skins only drafted 3, and one (Marko) was a low-rounder.

Newsome may sign free agents at the position, but with the exception of Derrick Mason, he usually doesn't play 'em. Most of their other receivers are draftees (Clayton a first, Demetrius Williams a 4th, Figurs a 4th, although he's mainly a KR). Kelley Washington they signed this off-season, but he's mainly a special teamer. Considering Mason is 13 years into his career and Clayton was having foot problems, that sounds like a risk to me.

By the way, drafted WRs have a pretty good success rate. But as several knowledgeable folks have pointed out, you have to be prepared to wait a while for them.

The anti-trust exemption exists to define the state of the NFL as one company instead of competing ones.

Posted by: DikShuttle | August 7, 2009 2:27 PM

Exactly. The league prevents the teams from competing against each other for players. That acts to hold rookie salaries below what they would be if this anti-trust exemption did not exist.

And, hey, these guys can also work in baseball, basketball, or UPS if they wish. But what they can't do is to work for one of the 31 teams that didn't draft them. Imagine if you'd graduated from school and they told you "Procter and Gamble drafted you. Go negotiate with them over your job and salary. If you don't like what they offer, you can re-enter the draft in a year."

And frak thinks this is "a level playing field"? Wow. I'm usually pro-management, myself, but the draft in pro sports is simply a device to hold salaries down.

The Skins have now drafted 4, 3 very high last year: winkin', blinkin' and nod. Newsome knows how it works with WR draft picks: they don't usually pan out. Better to get them as free agents.

Posted by: periculum | August 7, 2009 1:43 PM |

I wouldn't call the Skins 2008 WR draft picks "very high" - they were 2nd rounders; I think you have to be 1st round to be very high. WR draft picks do pan out - Holmes and Fitz, the stars of the last SB were draft picks. I think it is more like 50-50 than "usually don't".

OK, now I'm bored of talking about Kendall. Maybe the Mayor can call Jason Fabini to find out whether he's staying in shape and taking calls. Also, per Cooley's website, my understanding is that Fabini has some sasquatch in his blood and was, by far, the hairiest guy on the team last season.

Bridges started at either RT and RG for Carolina over last three years. He also started at LG for the Cardinals between 2004 and 2005.

He could start at either RG or RT for the Skins. The preseason games will show if he's a viable option at those positions vs. Thomas or Heyer. Although -- PUP is a possibility -- as there is no way the Skins could release Thomas, because he has a $9.5 mil release fee...

WR draft picks: they don't usually pan out. Better to get them as free agents.

Did an examination of 2nd round WR picks over the last several years (but before 2008 season). My recollection -- odds were about 1/10 that you get a real stud (Pro Bowler), about 1/4 that you get a solid player and about 1/2 that the guy contributes something

As another ThRedskin pointed out, there are ways around the standard policy and cited examples.

That would be like your company saying you can just leave the sprocket job I hired you for to go to our widget line that may pay more. A company can decide whether they want you in a position or not.

And since when have rookie salaries been held DOWN by the draft.. they're consistently higher than warranted due to the violent nature of the game.

**official note to anyone who hasn't been bugged to death by this already** My 'pay by position' method takes all of these woes away. Don't pay the player, pay the position he's playing - removes the agent. Players get true value.

Thank you!!! this is all I have been asking for, but it makes way too much sense why would they do that?

Just a Kendall signing would be enough to make me feel a little better. I'd still like to see Kendall plus a real guy who has played tackle somewhere else as well, Jonas Jennings would be perfect. Those two cheap guys and suddenly our line is pretty deep and experienced. Stock the practice squad with all the nonames we have in camp now and let them learn for a year and for god's sake draft some oline next year. But these two guys and the problem is solved cheaply without giving up draft picks to do it.

If there was no draft, there would only be like 8 teams in the league today. There would have NEVER been a Lombardi Trophy and the Packers he would have coached would have been out of existence by 1963.

The draft and revenue sharing is the reason why the NFL is what it is now.....

The Skins have plenty of young talent for Buges to coach up. They did pick up two undrafted free agents: C/G Edwin Williams and OT Scott Burley. They drafted Chad Rinehart in the 3rd round last year. Plus the Skins still have 2nd and 3rd year players: OT Devin Clark, C/G Will Montgomery, G/T Rueben Riley, and G D’Anthony Batiste.

There was no need to draft players who could not make the team [at least that was the excuse VC gave for not taking some of the OL who dropped from the 2nd to 5th rounds].

IMO, the Skins offensive line depth has improved over last year.... older (one-dimensional) players like Jansen, Kendall, and Fabini have been released. And the younger players have gained an additional year of experience learning the offense.

38 total picks, 23 have gone over 2,000 career yards, 3 have gone to ProBowls (Ocho, Boldin and Chris Chambers). In that group of 38, Antwaan Randle El is 13th in career receiving yards.

Jennings of GB and Vincent Jackson of SD are the only other 2 guys that might be called studs in that group.

Among those near the top of the yardage list, Deion Branch, Peerless Price, Jabar Gaffney and antonio bryant.

Its obviously harder to interpret the most recent drafts. In 2007 and 2008, 13 WRs were selected in round 2. None of the 3 selected in 2007 has proven to be a stud, Sidney Rice of Minn and steve smith of the jints have both contributed. The class of 2008 had 4 contributors, with Royal and d. jackson both potential studs. Avery and Jordy Nelson of GB had respectable rookie seasons. 7/13 picks are under 200 career yards, 5 are under 100 career yards.

Dik - "And since when have rookie salaries been held DOWN by the draft.. they're consistently higher than warranted due to the violent nature of the game."

I'm calling BS on this Dik. Why are rookies who haven't played a down entitled to more than veterans who have already been getting pounded. But the NFLPA doesn't want a rookie wage scale presumably under the premise that a rising tide raises all ships. But look at this.

"And, hey, these guys can also work in baseball, basketball, or UPS if they wish. But what they can't do is to work for one of the 31 teams that didn't draft them. Imagine if you'd graduated from school and they told you "Procter and Gamble drafted you. Go negotiate with them over your job and salary. If you don't like what they offer, you can re-enter the draft in a year."

Posted by: talent_evaluator

What you're doing is envisioning each team as a competing entity. What the NFL (and NBA, and MLS, and NHL, and MLB) has done is implemented the league itself as a singular entity competing against other leagues.

The MLS, which slightly differs from the other leagues in this aspect, actually owns every player in the league. All the contracts are signed directly by and for the MLS, who then implements the draft in the exact same manner that the other leagues do, and the player distribution essentially operates in the exact same way. It just happens that the teams don't actually own the players -- the league does. As a result, the MLS is actually competing with other leagues for the services of players. If a guy doesn't like his contract offer with the MLS (which happens often), he can very easily negotiate with USL-1, USL-2, or foreign leagues for his services.

The anti-trust exemption essentially does the same for the NFL. If a player is unhappy with his contract offer, he can attempt to negotiate with whatever that new league is (UFL?), he could have negotiated with the AFL (but I believe it folded), or he could go elsewhere with his services (CFL, perhaps). Nobody is saying 'If you want to play football, you must play in the NFL.'

As far as the power struggle is concerned, the draft provides just as much leverage to the player as it does to the owner. While the draft limits the options of the player, it also ensures that, to a given franchise, every other competing team is improving. So while the franchise knows that this player's only option is to sign with us or to wait another year, that franchise also knows that they have to sign this guy or they find themselves at a pretty significant disadvantage in comparison to their opponents (particularly in the future).

And in the end, I'd argue the player benefits much more from that power struggle. In European soccer leagues, where the market is essentially completely open and uncontrolled, you will never see unproven youngsters, even the most promising of which, being purchased or signed for anywhere in the same vicinity as that of the top players worldwide. Yet in the NFL, the Chiefs just signed a rookie DL close to the same amount of money that the highest paid defensive player in the league was just signed for.

Jason Reid should take time to think about his thoughts on Kendall. As he said Bugle know eons more about the game than he does. If it was thought that Kendall could help..they would have talked to him.
So what if he played most all the games..it is a question of how well he played. We all know that answer. It is now mis-leading to refer to Samuels as an all pro..it has been some years since he played at that level for a whole year.

Vinny should have drafted some guys from college who had O line potential both last year, and this year...but he didn`t do that. He acquired more defense instead.
Fact is, if you can`t run, and protect the Qb..few points will be scored..thus many games will be lost. as the O line fell apart in the second half..so did Portis.. and the running game.

Just pull in some young O linemen with good legs..and have them begin to learn the positions. Try getting actual guards to play the guard position..same for tackles. Do not try to convert one to the other..almost never works.

BUGES has been known to be caught whistling past the grave-yard at midnight. REID's onto something here. The time for grasping at straws is at hand. SNYDER, CERRATO, everyone on the team, those in the stands, and TV-viewers pay big for letting the o-line deteriorate to this state. If you're a big REDSKINS fan and avid about none other, it's time to cancel that NFL game-day reservation, and save the money. Bet they don't ignore the 0-line in the 2010 draft.

So it begins.
When JR starts getting critical of the Skins (lack of) moves people get on him just like they used to get on JLC.
It's not their fault, folks. It's like blaming a reporter covering a collision between a pair of dumptrucks on 495; it's not their fault it's an ugly scene.
Drinking the kool-aid with a front office that has established nothing but mediocrity for ten years? Fine, but when the wheels come off the bus this year, too, let that put to rest any doubts who is to blame for the Snyder/Cerrato era. Can we agree to that?

Well, that article guarantees that we will not sign him. Cerrato only makes moves that he can claim were completely his own... hence his disregard for the O-line against the wishes and advice of, well, everyone for three years now. Kendall, thanks for the service, but I'm afraid that agreeing to the interview sealed your fate with the Skins. Hail brother, hope you catch on somewhere else.

Our O-line is going to get slaughtered again, not that I'm saying anything new, but I love seeing the fanatical contingent here that keeps expressing faith is this horrific front office, rhinehart, Heyer (who lost his job to jansen!!!) , a bunch of old guys with severe injuries. Really? In your heart of hearts, you really believe they can be successful in the least? In the NFC east? Against the Giants D-line, and Eagles play calling? Ahahaha. I demand a roll call, who here thinks this o-line will have even a modicum of success this year? I need to know so I can ridicule you once the season starts and we end with an 8-8 (only because of our defense).

The end result will be another decent quarterback's career ruined, a young promising coach thrown under the bus, and another 'era', which really means another 3-4 years before we can contend again, assuming Snyder makes only the RIGHT moves in the future. Sigh, a cursed franchise.

Pete Kendall was the consummate professional during his time in Washington, and I would definitely welcome him back as a backup. Kendall picked up the offense really quickly as soon as he got to DC, and as JR wrote helped with the line calls a lot. That tells me he's a smart football player and even if he's not playing on Sundays he can help guys like Heyer just by having his experience and knowledge around.

I really have absolutely no clue why Vinny chose to bring back Mike Williams (well, I do, but it's not appropriate for a family web site) rather than Kendall.

If Chad Reinhardt ever turns into a good football player, I'll eat a hat. You simply do not go from being, basically, a complete waste, which is basically what Bugel called him last season, to that good. It's not going to happen. People drinking the Kool-Aid on him are going to be sorely mistaken when he gets run over repeatedly this year. Of course Sameuels will get devastated this year too by the Giants and Eagles because he's not fast enough anymore to even block a rookie who hasn't learned the moves of Osi U. yet, so we may all be distracted by Samuels bad play enough that Reinhardt gets away with his.

Unless the D does what the Ravens D did a few years ago and wins games even though the offense doesn't score a TD, this team is no better than 6-10 or 7-9. If the Skins get to 8-8 we're lucky.

As for the people who mention Bill Cowher, forget it. He's not coming to Washington, ever. He'd actually demand they draft linemen and build a team properly without Vinny. The last coach who wanted to do that was Schottenheimer, we all know how that worked out.

leave kendall where he is..too many knee problems does not practice during the week and mediocre at the point of attack gets hog-whipped on running plays, pass protection not too bad. let the young players develope hopefully starting line is like this when season start: from left to right, samuels,dockery,montgomery at center(rabach another mistake prone lineman who gets punished up front) bridges and heyer. rinehart, clark, stevenson, riley back-ups. thomas probably to pup.

Let's get Kendall back. He'd make a great backup and I am sure we'll need someone to come off of the bench by week 3. Yes we should look at others - Runyon, Levi, etc., but lets face it, premier OL are hard to come by and expensive. Teams do not cut 1st or 2nd teamers or good prospects.

As for Bugel, I have all of the respect in the world for that guy. Vinny gives him the guys to work with and Bugel gets the best out of him. Do you really expect him to say his guys aren't worth a damn? He does call them like he sees them but he a team coach who stands by his guys.

Kendall played well last year. I am pretty sure he could give us 50% of the snaps this year and we need OLs and WRs. Get him before someone else does.

What's with the Redskins and trying to switch players to new positions? if a guy's played 4 years in college in a certain, why would you think he can switch to another in just a few months? Do the redskins think they are that much smarter than everybody or are they just being too cheap to get players for positions where we need help? Guard and Tackle are different positions.

Reid is just finding things to fill up his column. A rookie from a division II with healthy legs would have a better chance of making the team. If Kendall was at all capable of playing, some team would have called him by now..as O linemen are always in need. I WONDER IF HE COULD EVEN PASS THE PHYSICAL?
Kendall, will be lucky to be walking on his own in 5 years...he should be smart and retire now..since no one will pick him up..all risk, little reward.